Using Videos on Etsy Shops & Listings? (Solved)

We all know that online stores rely on quality photographs of their products.

When you go into a physical store, you can be sure of what product you are looking at. You can see the color clearly, touch it to see if that sweater is baby-soft or scratchy and coarse, try things on, and know exactly what you’re getting before you make your purchase.

This is why you need your photos to be as crisp, professional, and detailed as possible. But in a world of online stores with their professional photographs, how to Etsy shops do even more to stand out, to connect with their customers, and to feature their product line?

One way to do this is through a professional and engaging Shop Video!

Can You Use Videos on Etsy Shops and Listings?

Etsy has a feature for you to embed a Shop Video in the “About” section of your Etsy profile. This is a great way to let your customers know who you are, see the vision behind your shop, and remember your products.

You can’t make a video for individual listings, but hopefully, we can help you highlight your top products in your Shop Video.

How Do You Add Videos to Your Etsy Shop?

A Shop Video is an excellent way to tell your potential buyers your shop’s unique story, going beyond just the introduction in your “About” section of your shop.

Firstly, don’t feel like you have to be a pro cinematographer to make your Etsy Shop video.

Etsy has tools in the app that help you make your video right from your smartphone.

But if you’re already a semi-pro, you can embed your video from another platform as well.

To make your video in the Sell on Etsy app, go to your Settings, followed by your Shop Settings, and from there, scroll on down to Shop Video.

To make your video on a web browser, go to your Shop Manager and click the pencil icon next to your shop name. From here, go to your About section, and click on “Add Video.”

Etsy’s in-app video feature walks you through step by step and shows you how to trim and edit your video. The app even has background music you can put to your video, without having to worry about running into copyright infringement or needing to commission your brother to compose something on his cello.

It’s that easy!

In order to make sure your video is compatible with Etsy’s app, your video should be no bigger than 300 MB. You can make it landscape or portrait, but Etsy recommends landscape because this looks a bit more professional and official.

The formats that are compatible with Etsy’s app are MOV, MPEG, AVI, MP4, and M4V.

Why Should You Make a Shop Video?

Customers are way more likely to purchase from shops once they know the stories behind them.

Etsy customers, in particular, come here because they’re shopping not only for uniquely crafted items but also because they’re shopping for a story.

We’re also moving into an age when videos are how we are able to be more engaged with online businesses.

Your Shop Video is a place for you to let your potential buyers know who you are, what you’re about, and why they should support you and believe in your product line.

How Long Should Your Shop Video Be?

While there’s no strict limitation on the length of your Etsy Shop video, it’s best to keep it short and sweet.

You want customers to engage with your shop and remember your brand, so you don’t want it to be too long, but you probably can’t sum up your brand in the time span of a Tik Tok.

Etsy recommends a maximum of 2 minutes for your Shop Video, partially because anything longer is going to have some difficulty uploading.

Two minutes is also a pretty good time frame to suit your audience’s attention span. Your shop most likely has a unique and amazing story behind it, and your Shop Video is a great place to highlight that story.

However, you probably don’t want to make an eighteen-minute mini-documentary all about how your great grandmother passed down her quilt, making skills from generation to generation. (Although, that’s a pretty cool story, so if you have something like it, make sure you make time for it in your two-minute your shop video.)

Think of yourself as a potential buyer, and what type of video you’d find yourself devoting time to watching. Have you ever clicked on a YouTube video and then quickly shut it off after you saw it’s eleven and a half minutes long? Your potential buyers may do the same thing.

So make sure you get to the “meat” of your video right away.

Know what you want to say, what you want your customers to know about you and about your product line, and keep it short and simple.

4 Tips for Creating a GREAT Etsy Shop Video

Etsy’s in-app video feature makes putting your video together nice and easy, taking it step-by-step.

But we’ll give you a few extra pointers to make sure your video stands out.

Showcase your shop. This may seem kind of obvious, but how do you showcase your shop in just two minutes?

Stick to the basics, and tell your customers why they should buy from your shop.

• Who are you? Where is your shop located? How did you come to make/curate your products?
• What does your creative process look like? Do you have a unique workspace you can show off?
• What are your top items? What are you selling that can’t be found in other shops?

Etsy’s in-app video feature has a similar outline for you to follow, which will make it easy for you to keep your video on track and stay on topic.

Before you start filming, sit with the above questions and think about how you want to answer them in an engaging way.

Use Your Caption:

Etsy has a place for you to put a caption on your video, which is an optional feature, but we recommend you use it. You’re limited to 120 characters, so you’ll want to make the most of them.

Your caption can a brief intro to your video to entice potential buyers to watch and learn more about your shop. Another good way to use it is to transcribe the video for anyone using a screen reader.

Either way, your caption is a way to make information about your shop even more accessible to your potential buyers.

Show Off Your Best Listings:

A lot of Etsy shop owners have wondered if it was possible to put videos to their individual listings.

Unfortunately, there is no way to make listing videos.

However, you can use your Shop Video to highlight your listings so that your customers know what they can expect from you and why they should patronize your shop.

• What kind of style can buyers expect to see in your product line?
• What is unique about your items?
• What can customers find in your shop that they can’t find in other shops?
• What are your signature items? Do you have items that you sell many or many varieties of?
• What are your top three most popular items?

Or, if you’re just getting your shop started, what are the items that made your friends tell you, “You should open your own shop!”?

Have fun!

Your customers want to know who you are! They want to know what makes you believe in your product line, and what makes your product line unique. So be yourself, be honest, and let your potential buyers feel like they’re being let in on your creative process. Your shop’s story is just as important as your craft.

We already know you’re the creative type—that’s why you’re here! So channel your creativity, and be confident. This is where you get to shine.

With an online shop, you don’t get to have face-to-face interaction with each buyer that you can have in a physical store or at craft fairs. So with your Shop Video, make sure that your buyers get the best of both worlds: the ease of online shopping, with the personal connection of small business and independent craftsperson.

Don’t be shy, and don’t be afraid to talk yourself up. You’re the expert on your own craft and product line, and your shop has a story that no one else’s does.